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- Trading Day – 22nd FebruaryAlthough Chinese manufacturing data came out weak, for the 4th month in a row, equity markets eventually rallied throughout Asia, with the S&P/ASX 200 Index actually finishing flat for the day after a sell off in the afternoon to 4293 points, in a very busy corporate earnings day (a reason why I’m writing this at 6pm and […]
- China’s Flash PMI remains weakChina’s Flash PMI for February is out and registered a small increase to 49.7, up 0.9 from January. The index increased largely on the back of resumed production, forward indicators were unchanged with domestic new orders still contracting slightly and new export orders kicking down into contractionary territory. China’s manufacturers appear to be under pre […]
- Leading indicators below trendMy least favourite indicator, the Westpac/Melbourne Institute Leading Indicator, is pointing sideways this month at weakish growth: The annualised growth rate of the Westpac–Melbourne Institute Leading Index, which indicates the likely pace of economic activity three to nine months into the future, was 2.3% in December 2011, below its long term trend of 3. […]
- What’s in a name for Onesteel?The reporting season is looking a bit like a damp squib; not much fizz to be seen. Although there have been exceptions, such as mineral exploration service provider Boart Longyear, which had operating revenue up 36.9% and double digit growth forecast. In the ailing manufacturing sector there has been the predictable travails. Bluescope’s headline net loss w […]
- Wages growth beats expectationsBy Leith van Onselen The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has just released the labour price index for the December quarter. According to the ABS, in trend terms total wages (excluding bonuses) increased by 0.9% over the quarter, with private sector wages rising by 0.9% and public sector wages increasing by 0.7%. Over the year, […]
- China linksCourtesy of Sinocism: The Future of U.S.-Chinese Relations | Foreign Affairs – Conflict Is a Choice, Not a Necessity By Henry A. Kissinger Chinese Computer Games | Foreign Affairs – Assembling an international consensus on norms about cyberspace, however, is a strategy that will probably take a long time to pay off, if it ever does. There […]



